... more Sylvia warbler photos. #cyprusbirds

...and finally some more wheatears. #cyprusbirds

More wheatears! #cyprusbirds

Back home and reviewing some of my photos from Cyprus. One of the best birding locations I've experienced in Europe/Western Palearctic. Lots of amazing birds, including a wonderful selection of stunning wheatear, with lots of variation too. #cyprusbirds

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Is this where some of the orchids are? Loss of habitat for reptiles, breeding birds, invertebrates and lots more. There are better ways to manage flood risk whilst safeguarding nature. Poor show.

Savi's warbler from earlier in holiday. All the birds I heard reeling were from dense scrub. #cyprusbirds

Highlight from yesterday was watching 2 little crake, and as I was leaving a small flock of blue-cheeked bee eater flew over. #cyprusbirds.

Spectacled Warbler

Female collared flycatcher

Male Semi-collared Flycatcher

Woodchat Shrike

A wonderful selection of Mediterranean birds this morning, at Greco, Cyprus. #cyprusbirds

Some other highlights from yesterday's afternoon arrival, all within a stroll from the holiday digs. #cyprusbirds

Sowerby's beaked whale ORCA protects whales and dolphins in waters around the world

orca.org.uk/species-sigh...

Some info, should I be correct. But I still recommend seeking other views as I could well be wrong.

I'm on holiday at the moment, so don't have access to my id books, but the location of the teeth is key to id. It is a beaked whale.

As per my direct reply, and I'm a little rusty now on cetacean id, but maybe Sowerby's. If you pause the video when you see the jaw line, it looks like you can see teeth mid way along jaw.

Maybe Sowerby's beaked whale. When you see the jaw, looks like teeth mid way along the jaw. I'm a little rusty on cetacean id now. Worth asking for 2nd opinions

...but I'd welcome id thoughts on for or against. Got good birding mates, who have different views.

Got lucky this afternoon when I found this stunner, during a bit of fall. Turkestan shrike. #cyprusbirds

Nice late afternoon find near the holiday digs. #cyprusbirds

After playing hide and seek, and then deciding to head back to the car, the masked shrike decided to fly and land in front of me. ##cyprusbirds

Always a good day when you find a bluethroat on migration. This is from today, but probably the same bird from yesterday. Cape Greco #cyprusbirds.

Enjoying my morning strolls and bumping into a few of these beauties each morning. Across 3 visits to Greco I've seen the following sylvia warblers (all well): eastern subalpine; ruppell's; eastern orphean; cyprus; sardian; spectacled; lesser whitethroat; whitethroat & blackcap. #cyprusbirds.

Today, I fluked a pic of the bird in flight. Showing distinctive white rump/ upper tail.

What a weekend! It was a privilege for Kent to host 2026 @lesserspotnet.bsky.social workshop in the Blean! Interesting discussions had between different regions, good connections made, exciting things ahead. Some Lesser Spots didn’t go a miss either @kentishplover.bsky.social @ukrbbp.bsky.social

@lesserspotnet.bsky.social took five hours to locate this little fella - The Blean, Kent, 21st March

I saw some early signs of excavating at the weekend and come hail or shine this male lesser spot was busy excavating today. My earliest views of excavation. @lesserspotnet.bsky.social #Birds @angusrobin.bsky.social

Away from the adopted holiday patch, we bumped into two great spotted cuckoo. A species high on the UK self-found dream list. Targets corvid nests, particularly magpie. #cyprusbirds.

One of the birds of the day from Cape Greco. #cyprusbirds

One of my highlights from today whilst out for a late afternoon stroll with my wife in Cyprus. Wasn't expecting such a corker. #cyprusbirds.

XC1086062 Lesser Spotted Woodpecker (Dryobates minor)

Back from a great @lesserspotnet.bsky.social weekend in Kent discussing the monitoring, ecology and conservation of our smallest woodpecker. Infectious enthusiasm and a wealth of skills and experience shared, topped off by actually seeing them! xeno-canto.org/1086062 #ornithology

Male Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, Kent

Female Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, Kent

Had a superb weekend in Kent courtesy of @lesserspotnet.bsky.social’s workshop, hearing of all the exciting developments in Lesser Spotted Woodpecker monitoring & research, topped by great views of the birds themselves 😍 - my first for a decade!

4+ Water Pipits commuting between cut reedbeds at Westbere and the water meadows to the south this evening, as viewed from the north bank of the Stour #kentbirding